Sorrily not but, knowing Elecraft and the excellent work they do, I am
sure this radio will be outstanding.
Buck, k4ia
Honor Roll
8BDXCC
EasyWayHamBooks.com
On 5/19/2019 6:58 AM, John Stengrevics wrote:
Buck,
Did you happen to discuss:
1. Noise blanker improvement
2. Improvement in sensitivity
Relative to the K3S?
73,
John
WA1EAZ
On May 18, 2019, at 11:09 PM, Buck <radiok...@gmail.com> wrote:
The following is offered based on my observations and discussions at the
Elecraft booth. I am *not* an official, or even unofficial, Elecraft spokesman
and stand willing to be corrected.
First, this is going to be another game-changer from Elecraft. The radio will
have outstanding performance figures and an interface to die for. The screen
is beautiful and functions can be controlled from either buttons or the
touch-screen. There is band-stacking on the touch screen, a nit people have
complained about on the K3.
The radio is full SDR as opposed to the analog front end of the K3. However an
option, the K4HD, is a superhet receive function. Like previous Elecraft
radios, this can be added later if you think you need it. Preliminary is that
it will not be necessary unless you operate in the presence of strong stations
(multi-multi).
Another option has a second set of band pass filters and ADC module that will
allow the two receivers to operate on different bands or antennas (K4D).
The radio contains a Linux computer so all this magic does not require an
external computer except for logging or audio input. The rig will be
addressable locally or over the internet with no additional software. I saw it
operated from an iPad and Android is coming. The iPad screen looked exactly
like the front panel, including the panadapter.
There are multiple USB ports, an Ethernet port, RS232 and an HDMI port so you
can project the front panel, or parts of it, to an external monitor. The
panadapter looks awesome on the external monitor and you will be able to point
and click to QSY the radio.
The prices are targets but I got the impression the final will be very close.
The cost is less than a fully loaded K3s. The kit version will be cheaper than
factory-assembled and ship several months later to allow time to write the
assembly manual. Target for the factory version is November.
I suspect the K4 will replace the K3 series as K3s sales are sure to suffer
because of product age and competition from the K4. I did not hear any talk
about sun-setting the K3s when the K4 comes out. I am sure there are many
people who will want to buy the basic K3s and upgrade over time (or not) rather
than plunk down $4,000 for the K4.
What does this do to the value of a K3 or K3s? I expect there will be some
coming on the market. Anyone who buys, or retains, a K3 or K3s will still have
one of the finest radios ever made. We are at the point where the difference
among the top 5 or so on Sherwood's charts is a decibel or two, almost within
the margin of error and certainly beyond the ability of the human ear to
discern. So, don't panic. The demand for the K3 series will be strong for
many years to come.
Keep an eye on the website as more information comes from Watsonville.
--
Buck, k4ia
Honor Roll
8BDXCC
EasyWayHamBooks.com
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